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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Egyptian Goose Records in Pennsylvania

A couple months ago on the PA Birds email list I asked for reports of Egyptian Goose from across the state. These exotic geese turn up from time to time, with individuals sometimes persisting at a location for lengthy periods of time or even returning in consecutive years. They have bred at least twice in the wild in Pennsylvania. So far, I have 36 reports of Egyptian Goose from 11 counties. High count is 10 at Nockamixon in 2003, where free-flying birds were breeding in 2003 and 2004.

It looks like a small number of these birds are probably always flying around SE Pennsylvania, though without more reports it will be hard to know exactly how many and if they are regularly breeding anywhere. We really need people to keep bettter track of sightings of these birds, so we can get a better handle on how many there are and if they might be breeding regularly. Perhaps we can add them to the eBird filters for Pennsylvania.

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Another sighting or actually shooting occured in California on January 26, 2008. While hunting in the Sutter Bypass area, just North of Sacramento, CA, my brother shot 2 of them out of the sky. He didn't know what kind of geese they were, but found out later, and is going to have one of them stuffed. A very handsome looking bird. - Dennis Miller - Galt, CA

Rob---While hunting yesterday in Bradford Co. Pa I harvested an egytian goose. Beautiful bird, went immediately to the taxedermist. If you would like more info about the encounter, let me know.---Matt Goodson-Wyalusing, PA

This morning was the third time i have seen a pair of the Egyptian Geese here in Melbourne, FL ....i feed the ducks in the morning and these two scared my ducks away. Gorgeous birds but very aggressive toward other birds however they didnt seem to have a problem with the squirrels.

A pair of Egyptian geese appeared last September(2007)at Ingleside Golf Course in Thorndale, Pa. Thorndale is in Caln Township located in Chester County. They arrived with a flock of Canada geese who seem to have adopted them. The Canadas protect them from other Canada flocks that try to run them off. They have stayed here through the winter and have become celebrities with the local people because of their beauty. They seem to have mated because they have become very aggressive. The male hisses and the female raises quite a squalking sound if any geese come near them. We are hoping for hatchlings.

On May 30, 2008, I took a picture of a bird that was in our backyard on Fairview Lake, Oregon (just east of Portland). I didn't know what kind of bird he was, but he was beautiful. In looking at the internet, he definitely was an Egyptian Goose. He was alone and I have never seen one like him. We have many Canadian geese during the winter and a few year round.

We had a single Egyptian Goose stay at a pond at the Springport Golf Course in Harrisville, MI. The goose returned this spring. He is aggressive toward other ducks such as mallards, otherwise quite docile.L. Crampton

For about a month a female Egyptian Goose has been coming into my back yard with a flock of Canadian geese with whom she gets along well. Mallards and Wood Ducks also come into the yard but she pays no more attention to them than do the geese. Wonderful to watch the interactions. I live on the shore of Hoover Reservoir in southern Delaware County just north of Columbus,OH. I did not know what she was until I saw one on Animal Cops of South Africa on Animal Planet cable channel. I have photos of her but do not know how to share them on this site.

We live in Margate, Florida on a lake on a golf course. We had seen three adults since December and were unable to identify them. Recently, two of them had about 6 goslings. We haven't seen the third one around. We thought they had just migrated here, but it looks like they are staying!

Two new arrivals on our golf course in east Texas have gone from the various lakes on the course. They have been here around 3 weeks or so and seem quite aggressive towards the resident swan and the other ducks. They are very pretty but kind of menacing with the brown circles around their eyes and their chasing behaviors.

There is a healthy pair at a golf course in Mays Landing NJ. I prefer not to name the golf course for their protection. They raised a brood of chicks this summer and have successfully driven off other fowl and even deer who venture too close to their nesting area. They are a handsome pair and quite entertaining.

In the backyard in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, we have many ducks. My favorite one, a real beautiful bird with a broken wing comes close for me to feed it. Someone called it a goose. How silly! I just looked on the internet, and indeed it is an Egyptian Goose. Excactly like the pictures I found. Where the ducks stay together, he stays by himself. He has gotten use to my presence, and come over for food, but backs away quickly when the ducks crowd in.

I live in Tamarac, Fl. There was a pair here last Nov. This year, 2008, however, they brought 6 of their friends. Beautiful birds. They love stale bread which they soften in the pond behind my townhome and eat copius quantities of wild bird seed. They will respond to a whistle -0 Bob Chalmers, Tamarac, Fl

I work in The Woodlands, Texas. I am fortunate to have an office that looks out into a wooded area with a pond. I feed the squirrels and birds on a regular basis right outside my door. I recently went on a two week vacation and my co-workers were very excited to report that a couple of ducks were sited at my door while I was away. I didn't have to wait long to see the new visitors. I had never seen any bird of that kind. I new they were special. They looked like they could have belonged in the dinosaur age. I thought they were ducks because of their size but further investigation proved otherwise. They are not bashful about letting you know they want more food. They make eye contact with you and bang on the glass door to get your attention. Their markings and colors are so perfect that they appear fake. I am so glad I had the opportunity to see these beautiful birds. C. D. E.-Huntsville, TX 11/19/08

We have had a pair of Egyptian Geese on our golf course in Houston for at least ten years. I feed them and visit with them every time I play golf---I think they recognize me and are eager to be fed. Recently one of them died and the other one left has moved in with the many ducks on another of the course's lakes. I feel so bad for her. Her beauty really sticks out in that bunch of half-breed ducks. Wonder if it is possible to purchase a replacement Egyptian for her?? Is that possible?

01/22/09 - Melbourne FL zip 32934. Two Egyption Geese have been hanging around my property for the last two days. They have been very aggressive towards the 20 ducks that live at our house. Today the pair walked up to me and ate cracked corn out of the feeder for the other ducks. I have many close up digital pictures. Looks like they might stay awhile.

Hi I just saw 2 egyptian geese Here in PA and took thier picture. I couldnt figure out what they were! It was driving me crazy. But I finally came across a picture and sure enough this is what they were. I live in Douglassville,Pa I saw them 1/21/09 & 1/22/09

Texas sighting. We have a pair that have showed up each year since 2004 at our ranch. Always wondered what they were. This year they were spotted on our pond with 6 babies. We are feeding and taking pictures as of 3/7/09.

3/9/09 I live in Dana Point, CA about 1/2 mile from Doheny State Beach. I walk over there most mornings -- a couple of weeks ago I saw three birds I had never seen before. I watched them for awhile, they were very docile, just eating grass and ignoring me. I asked the Rangers if they knew what kind of birds they were, and finally one came up with Egyptian Geese. On my walk this morning I saw two of them grazing on the grass in the park across from the beach. They are beautiful birds and I really enjoy watching them. When I got home I Googled Egyptian Geese and sure enough, the photo was dead-on! In reading the other postings, I see there are babies hatching in Texas -- I hope they do the same here! Maggie Pichette, Dana Point, California

I live in Durham, North Carolina. This morning, 3/28/09, we photographed a single Egyptian goose on the pond behind our house, a fairly urban environment where we normally only have mallards and Canada Geese. We also got to hear th goose make a very distinctive sound, generally in response to dogs. I hope it stays with us, it is strikingly marked and a beautiful bird!

I have been watching and photographing a lone Egyptian goose all day today at a patch of vacant land near a shopping center in SW Durham,NC. I wonder if it is the same one Anita saw.The goose has flown away and returned to the same spot a number of times today.

Four Egyptian geese came to the Neckar River in Heidelberg, Germany (where I live) last fall (around November 2008). They live separately from the Canadian geese population and stay about 200 meters downstream from them. The four never walk or hang out together, only the two pairs being together separately. I believe they nest at least 50 meters or so away from eachother. I read that the females and males do not differ in their plumage, which is also true for these two pairs. Both sets of parents have new goslings about two weeks ago. One pair has five, and the other only has two now. I am curious to how many of these birds are in Germany. Does anyone have an idea?

Two Egyptian geese spotted today near my yard on Lake LBJ, Tx. I got pretty close to them and took a picture as I had never see any bird with the pink legs. So glad to have the internet to verify the beautiful birds. 5/27/09

On the 10 May I saw a pair around the retention pond at Walnut Creek Housing sub-division on Taft in Pembroke Pines.it was so amazing that I took pictures.It is the first time I have seen these birds.They still visit from time to time.I thought they were lost.

I saw an Egyption Goose amongst Canadian Geese in Apponaug Cove in Rhode Island on Sunday May 31st, 2009. Being from Africa I am very familiar with these birds and was very suprised to see one so far from its native habitat.

There is a semi-domesticated flock of egytian geese living on Key Biscayne in Crandon Park in the area where the old zoo used to be.It's called Crandon Gardens now. The birds can be seen flying all over the park, but remain at the park as there is a lady who feeds them and all the other birds that live there,including sandhill cranes, domestic geese and swans, plus chickens and turkeys and a lot of peacocks. It's a very nice quiet place to visit, but watch out for the resident crocodile.Curt Reik Loxahatchee,Fl

July 2009. We were vacationing at Canyon Lake in Texas. We were staying at an Inn on the CL Golf Course. A flock of 8-12 Egyptian geese showed up every morning looking for corn that we fed to the deer. I believe there were actually two different flocks of birds that visited.

I was at The Villages, Fl, taking pictures of ducks, ibis and a blue heron that usually hang out at a lake, when I saw 2 beautiful birds. I had never seen them before. I didn't know it at the time, but after doing my research, I found out that they are Egyptian Geese.I will be posting pictures soon

I am also in Melbourne, Florida and I have a pair of these geese in my back yard at the canal. They have chased off most of the Muskovy ducks I feed and have tried to kill their babies. They are fascinating birds and I feel privileged to have them visiting me. They are mean though and have tried to attack my husband when he tried to stop them from attacking the baby ducks.

I live in a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and we have a pair of Egyptian Geese in the pond behind our house. We had no idea what they were as they are not listed in our Field Guide of Eastern US birds from the Nat'l Audobon Society. I emailed a very bird savvy friend the pictures I took and he informed me that they were Egyptian Geese. Wow! Long flight from Africa! We are enjoying them...they are beautiful!

an egyptian goose has been in our area for about 2 months. This is Ft. Myers Florida. We are in McGregor Woods and have a small lake. email gail at: daneg72@embarqmail.com if you are interested in viewing this bird.

Canyon Lake, Tx - New Years 2010 - saw half a dozen Eqyptian Geese there, and was told there were a dozen there by a person who had been feeding corn to deer and geese. The geese would fly up to their RV each evening for their meal. Beautiful birds!

Craig and Terry2-21-2010 About a week ago we found a pair of these beautiful birds in our back yard. We have been amazed and crazy trying to find what kind they were. We would like to know the best food for them.terryncraig@gmail.com

There are atleast 30+ egyptian geese close to where we live - they are agressive towards most other birds (mainly ducks; the odd koot); even each other - we have a pair (we suspect 1x male & 1x female - not sure how to tell - the one is always pecking at the other; we guess that's the female) and today one of them flew over the small fence near the water (we have a toddler) and started to attack our cats!!!

We live in the Hill Country of Texas, specifically New Braunfels. We see a group of Egyptian Geese in our area year-round, sometimes numbering a dozen or more at one time. Yesterday two geese strolled past our home herding 7 goslings! Very sweet family.

I'm surprised to hear of these birds' aggressive behavior. I haven't witnessed that at all, as they seem to coexist with the muscovies, herons, ibis and others in our backyard here in Hollywood Fl. They do have a loud, raucous call, and are beautiful as many have mentioned. I couldn't identify them until my neighbor, who is well-travelled, told me. Stop shooting them. T Carroll

I spotted 2 of them by our river in Pekin, IL. I didn't know what they were but they were so very striking I took a picture and asked a friend who knows about birds. He identified them as Egyptian geese and the pictures are spot on. They haven't been aggressive that I've seen and they have been here for a few weeks with a group of Canada geese.

I've had another sighting in Dana Point, California. On Friday 4/2/10 there were five birds resting in the lagoon area just off Doheny State Beach. I watched them for quite awhile -- two ducks came strolling by and got close to the Egyptian geese, and all five took flight. I haven't seen them since. Before Friday, my first sighting was here in Dana Point in 2008. I was thrilled to see them again! Maggie Pichette, Dana Point, California

April 14, 2010We have one Egyptian Goose on our lake in the Iona McGregor area of Fort Myers, FL. He sits on the bank and co-exists with the Herons, Ibis, Mallards, etc. Just before dark, he swims to the other side of the Lake. Very beautiful.jackie

One of these beautiful birds has recently taken up residence at our community pond in Katy, Texas (west of Houston). He is trying to befriend the local ducks, and only one oddball duck will hang out with him. He is not nasty or viscous, as I have seen this breed described. He does occasional honk at or chase the other ducks, but doesn't attack. He doesn't chase people, either, as I have known many geese do. He is absolutely stunning!

I had a pair of Egyptian Geese on my pond 16 miles east of Seguin TX on Dec 12. They sat on the dock before they eventually flew off headed South. I thought they had escaped from the San Antonio Zoo before I saw all of these postings. They seem to be everywhere. Magnificant birds. I hope no one shoots them BJK- Seguin,TX

We have two Eyptian geese that have taken up residence with us in Magnolia, TX. We live on a small lake and I feed corn to the wild birds and squirrels. I sat down and lifted the blinds to get some good pictures, and these two geese came up to the patio, jumped up and walked over to have a look at me! Very beautiful birds that are co-existing with many whistling ducks, geese, etc. No aggression seen yet. 12/26/2010

Today,03/06/2011,we saw a pair of Egyptian Geese for the 1st time at Cypresswood and 1960 Spring, Tx. They are beautiful we looked on the internet for hours to find out what they were. The Ancient Egyptians considered them Sacred.

Saw what could possibly be an Egyptian goose pair on the side of Amwell Road (County Rt 514) in Neshanic, NJ just past the intersection of 514 and 567. Never saw anything like them, looked online and this was the closest match. Beautiful birds!

Today, in the heart of London,I was delighted to see 2 Egyptian geese sitting on our pontoon, about 2 feet away from us.At the moment, they are bobbing about on the small lake surrounding our house.We hope they choose to rest here for at least one breeding season!

have never seen this goose before. They are very distict and beautiful. I have a pair in my back yard in Tamarac Florida. I did not find them to be aggresive to either me, my dog or nearby muscovy ducks in the water behind my house.

I am also in Seguin, TX, and have never seen these geese before. We live in our motorhome full time and travel the country. These birds are beautiful and extremely friendly. There are three in the RV park we are currently staying in.

We live in Boynton Beach,Fl on a golf course.Three unusual looking ducks/geese showed up for the Christmas weekend.They have been identified as Egyptian Geese.They can be approached on the golf course within about 30 ft and then move away on foot or into the water for safety.A very pretty bird

There's an Egyptian Goose that flew into the Millbrook Zoo in Millbrook, New York from who knows where. The Egyptian Goose is living happily and being fed daily along with the shelducks, mallards, bar-headed geese, and white-naped cranes kept by the zoo.

Just like others, took a little while googling to figure out what they were and sure enough, Egyptian Geese. They landed in our yard/ pond about 5 or 6 weeks ago, 5 of them, and every day a couple fly off while one stays and then they all come back at night. They roam our yard with other ducks and chickens. Only showed aggresion towards a couple of ducks that were given to us yesterday, not bad, just followed them around pond for about an hour or so, then backed off. Beautiful Creatures. Santa Fe, TX.

There has been a pair of Egyptian Geese for the last few days and I just saw them again 10 minutes ago at the Central Park Lake in Huntington Beach, California. One mile inland from the ocean and one mile south of the Bolsa Wetlands. They are beautiful! I hope they stay a while. This small little lake supports mallards, coots, cormorants, pied-billed grebes, blue Heron, Canadian geese and other water fowl.

I live in South Florida... South Eeast Florida. Just north of Ft. Lauderdale. I was at work today and was visiting the local lake and the ducklings i have watched grow up, and I saw something new. A tall "duck" that i have NEVER seen before. I took several pictures and looked it up online and found out it is, in fact, an Egyptian Goose! Beautiful bird! So I wanted to let you know, they are in South Florida as well! :) Are they native to North America? Are they considered an invasve species? I am quite interested.

I'm new to south Florida and have been enjoying all the birds around the golf course with its lake and canals. I'm especially attracted to the gorgeous pair of 'Egyptian Geese I see on my walks; I talk to them & tell them how beautiful they are - but the last to evenings when I see them, they are kind of mean. I figure they have eggs now, so I don't go too near, but the male will go quite far out of his way to follow me in a menacing way. Yesterday he flew up over me and swooped down right in front of me and stared at me. I just kept slowly walking along my way and he finally dropped it. They have also had major confrontations with another pair that tried to move into the territory - but after hours of sandpaper-yelling and facing off, the other pair gave up. I love the beautiful geese and hope they have lots of babies.

Live in Rowan Co., NC and this morning (12/3/13)learned I had a new Egyptian Goose neighbor. Based on the vocal sound it was a male, alone and actually looked lost. Wonder how long he'll hang around because I'm not near water but rather a farm.